First find of kristiansenite in spain: comparison with the type specimen by non-destructive techniques

Abstract

We report herein a new ¿ nd of kristiansenite from a pocket in an intra-granite pegmatite from Cadalso de los Vidrios, near Madrid, Spain. This specimen of a late hydrothermal scandium silicate has been studied by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry probe (ESEM-EDS), Micro-Raman Spectrometry and ESEM-Cathodoluminescence (ESEM-CL), all of them non-destructive techniques. The sample is a single perfect pyramidal monocrystal found in a small cavity less than one mm across. The experimental chemical, molecular and spectral luminescent information was later compared with the type specimen from Norway and the second ¿nd, at Baveno, Italy. Our Raman spectrum matches the spectrum of the Norwegian specimen, with minor variation in the intensity of the peaks; the chemical composition recorded by EDS also shows minor variations. In addition, the CL spectrum displays several narrow peaks, probably associated with REE in Ca positions. The geochemical framework of this new locality, with pegmatite pockets in A-type granites rich in Sc-bearing minerals and other REE, have many similarities with those of Norway and Italy.